Improved turn-table



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREEMAN HANSON,

OF HOLLIS, MAINE.

IMPROVED TU RN-TABLE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57.501. dated August 28, 1866.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREEMAN HANsoN, of Hollis, in the county of York and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Turn-Table, and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others to make and use my invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l shows a top plan of my improved turn-table, Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same.

My invention has for its object the production of a turn-table for engines, cars, Sac., of any kind, which is automatic in its operation, or which will turn by means of the weight of the car or engine when placed thereon.

It consists in the combination of an inclined circular bed and a revolving table, arranged and operating as hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the accompanying; drawings for more particular illustration, A shows a bed, in which is a circular depression, B. Within this circular depression or cavity is a platform, C, swinging' or revolving on its center a, and sustained and running on trucks, wheels, or rollers b. The pivot a serves to keep the platform in position and prevent its friction against t-he inner sides of' the bed A. Upon this platform is a track, c. rIhe platform may be made circular, so as to ll and cover the cavity B, or only partially to cover the same, as desired, and it may, when made in certain form, have tracks at right or less angles to each other. All the trucks or wheels upon which the platform turns being of the same size, the platform is inclined at the same angle as the bottom of the cavity B.

Upon the revolving platform are brakes to check the motion of the wheels and stop the revolution of the platform, in the' manner that brakes are ordinarily applied to wheels on cars, carriages, or other machinery of land convey ance. These are illustrated at d, but may be located at any convenient place on the platform. Around the edges or outer periphery of the circular cavity, and intended to be matched by the tracks on the revolving platform, ac-

cording as the platform is turned, aretracks to lead vehicles and engines to and from the platform, in the usual manner. These are illustrated at e.

The circular depression or` cavity B is inclined, as before described, one side being placed or constructed higher than the other. This is indicated in Fig. 2, the highest and lowest points being opposite to each other on the circle. To illustrate the operation of my invention, suppose any weighty carriage, as an engine or car, to passv upon the revolving platform at the lowest end thereof, as at f, and to ascend to the highest point thereof, as as g. It is evident that the platform will then revolve, so as to bring the weight or car, Ste., to the lowest point in the circle. Thus the table operates by itself, without the aid of' applied force, gearing, and other mechanical appliances to turn it. rI he platform is provided with latches to hold it at any vdesired point. (See h.) Various devices may be employed for this purpose, and these devices may be operated in different ways.

As before indicated, the inclination of the plane of the circular cavity B enables the weight of the carriage or engine to swing itself to any desired point on the circle, the brakes to stop the platform where desired, and the latches to these retain it; and I desire, further, to specify that the inclination of the plane ofthe cavity and of' the platform may be regulated by convenience or necessity. Tracks may be laid around the circular cavity as experiment and use require.

I do not desire to limit myself to any particular method of construction of the circular cavity, bed, or revolving platform, neither of the brakes or latches.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A turn-table operated in an inclosed pit by the weight of the car or engine to be turned, as and for the purposes described.

FREEMAN EANsoN.

Witnesses WILLIAM H. CLIFFORD, HENRY C. HoUs'roN. 

